What’s Your Destiny?

I wasn’t a poor student in high school, but my teachers always said I wasn’t quite reaching “my potential.” I was curious how they thought they knew my potential when I had no idea.

I was a better student in college, but only in my major classes. I didn’t quite reach my potential in my other classes either.

Once I got to work, I was able to use my energy to excel at certain things, learn about and improve in other areas, and learn what I should stay away from.

It’s not my destiny to do highly detailed work. I don’t like it. I get bored. I lose interest and don’t do it well. When I have to pay attention to details, I make a checklist so I can focus on the interesting parts and not have to deal with too much of the not-so-interesting parts.

I could never have foreseen how my decision to start writing articles and books would help me find my “destiny” as a writer and now, a teacher of writers. (I’m not sure that’s my “final” destiny, but it’s something I’m doing now.)

I could never have foreseen how my decision to start a consulting practice would have led to my opportunities to travel the world and meet people everywhere.

We can’t foresee with certainty. We, with any luck, change a little every day. Every change, large or small can help us create a new destiny.

I don’t buy that we each have a destiny that’s somehow carved in stone. I much prefer the idea that we have the ability to change what we do and when we do it. Those changes help us create our new destiny, every day, every week, every month, and every year.

We make opportunities for ourselves, to “rewrite” or to change our destiny. We have choices every day:

With the work we choose to do

How we choose to do that work

Who we work with to accomplish that work

We can choose and change, and choose again and change again. We are not static. Our destinies are not static.

That’s a little about what these questions of the week are for me. I continue to examine my life and my work to grow and to evolve my destiny. I hope these questions help you, too.

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2 thoughts on “What’s Your Destiny?”

I don’t know that I put much stock in destiny. I think that for those of us who are fortunate, life is ongoing discovery through our talents to find things of value to do. We use hard work, resources, and luck on that journey.